Ferrari Purosangue

Some cars rise in value over the years to the point that they become costly collectibles. Only a select few can afford them, and many of us are lucky even to drive such a car.

For collectors, the world of cars presents a vast array of choices. This list, however, hones in on 13 of the most sought-after vehicles in 2024. Each car has unique selling points, exceptional performance, or lesser-known but equally enticing features.

Toyota 2000GT

Toyota 2000GT
Image Credit: zombieite, CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

The stunning Toyota 2000GT is one of the most valuable classic cars in the world, with one selling in 2013 for a staggering $1.2 million. It is also an important car, showing to America and Europe that Japan could produce a sleek, stylish, and sporty vehicle.

Toyota produced the 2000GT from 1967 to 1990 as its answer to the British Jaguar E-Type. Under the hood was a 2.0-2.3-liter inline-six engine that could make up to 148 hp. Its most famous moment came in 1967 when a special convertible model appeared in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice.

Lancia 037

1982 Lancia 037 Group B
Image Credit: Brian Snelson, CC BY 2.0/WikiCommons.

Anything Lancia deserves a place in a collector’s garage. But the iconic Lancia 037 is at the top of that list, thanks to the epic story of its fight against the Audi Quattro in the 1983 World Rally Championship season. The two-wheel-drive 037 beat the four-wheel-drive Quattro, making it the last two-wheel-drive car ever to win a WRC title.

Lancia also produced the 037 Stradale for the road to satisfy the FIA’s homologation rules. Under each 037 Stradales hood was an Abarth DOHC 2.0-liter 16-valve engine, producing 205 hp.

Lancia Delta HF Integrale

Lancia Delta Integrale
Image Credit: Salexx156, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons.

Another Lancia worthy of a place in a collectors garage is the gorgeous Lancia Delta HF Integrale. Lancia won six consecutive World Rally Championship titles with the Delta Integrale in the 1980s, cementing Lancia’s status as a rally legend and the cars.

The HF Integrale was also the last Lancia to win a WRC title. The manufacturer pulled out of the series as the 1990s came around, and after that, the company would become a shadow of its former self, thanks to the Beta rusting scandal of the early 1980s.

Ferrari 250 GT

Ferrari 250 GT California Spider
Image Credit: Ferrari.

Most Ferraris are worthy of a place in anyone’s garage, but the 250 GT is extra special. Introduced in the 1960s, the 250 GT would become one of the Prancing Horese’s most successful racers and one of its most valuable road cars.

The Ferrari 250 GT range was vast, ranging from the 250 Europa to the 250 GT Pinin Farina Coupe Speciale and the 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso. Of course, the 250 GT came from the Ferrari 250 series, which included the legendary 250 GTO, the most valuable and collectible car in the world. Few cars have captured the magic of the Ferrari 250.

Lotus Esprit Series 4

2004 Lotus Esprit
Image Credit: Newport Beach Automotive Group/Flickr.

The Lotus Esprit is one of the best sports cars the British manufacturer ever produced, and the Series 4 of 1993 to 2004 might be the best generation. The addition of power steering makes it better to drive than earlier models, as do the anti-lock brakes and reconfigured cabin.

Lotus also worked hard to improve the Esprit’s overall quality and quality control, making a giant leap in that area with the Series 4. Power came from the exceptional 2.2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which produced 264 hp and 290 lb-ft of torque, and it did so reliably. If you wanted even more power, there was also the 350 hp V8 Turbo version of the Series 4 Esprit.

Maserati Bora

Maserati Bora
Image Credit: tandemracer, CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

While the Volkswagen Bora is an anonymous and forgotten saloon of the 200s, Maserati’s is a gorgeous, Giugiaro-designed, moving work of art with some of the best supercar styling. Little wonder that they can sell for at least $150,000 on the classic car market.

Under the hood of the Bora were a choice of Tipo V8 engines, each producing excellent soundtracks. At the same time, the Bora also became renowned for its exceptional handling and prowess in the corners. The Bora is one of the rarest Maseratis, with the Italian manufacturer producing just 564 of them, and it would lay the foundations for the later Merak supercar.

Nissan 300ZX

Revolfe S.A. Nissan 300ZX
Image Credit: Bilstein Performance

Most of Nissan’s Fairlady or Z sports cars have earned classic status, but the 300ZX flies under the radar. That might be down to the rust that the 300ZX is sometimes prone to, but away from that, it is an exceptional sports car with turbocharging, four-wheel steering, and some impressive technology.

Out of the two generations, the Z32 is best remembered. Under the hood, a 3.0-liter V6 engine and a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 produced 300 hp. In base form, the Z32 300ZX was capable of 222 hp. Nissan also filled the 300ZX with plenty of tech, including the Cray-2 supercomputer used to design the Z32 alongside their CAD software, making it one of the first production cars to use this tool.

Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution

1997 Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution
Image Credit: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima, CC0/Wikimedia Commons.

It might seem odd, but the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution is an underrated collector’s car that only recently became available in the United States. This is because it has now surpassed the 25-year import restriction.

Mitsubishi built the Pajero Evolution to celebrate their dominance in the Paris-Dakar rally, where it reigned supreme in the 1980s. The Japanese manufacturer produced just 2,500 versions for the road, making them exceptionally rare—the 3.5-liter iron-block V6 with 2376 hp packed plenty of punch. The Pajero Evolution also benefits from Mitsubishi’s MIVEC variable valve-timing-and-lift system and its gasoline direct injection.

Alfa Romeo 4C

Alfa Romeo 4C
Image Credit: The Essex car spotter, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons.

The striking Alfa Romeo 4C might become a modern classic, and it is worthy of a place in a collector’s garage based on its looks alone. Alfa Romeo took the covers off the 4C at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, initially available as a coupe before Alfa Romeo launched the Spider in 2015.

It might not have a manual transmission, but it does have a 1.75-liter 1750 TBi turbocharged inline-four under the hood, producing 240 hp. While not the most powerful in the world, the 4C is light, weighing 2,315 lbs in coupe form and 2,337 lbs in Spider form. Its lightness makes it one of Alfa Romeo’s best-handling cars, ensuring it is a blast in the corners and on the race track.

TVR Tuscan Speed Six

TVR_Tuscan_Speed_Six_(2000)
Image Credit: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons.

TVR is regularly misunderstood, having forged a reputation for questionable reliability and doing whacky things with its cars. This includes insane dashboards, controls in odd places, and a lack of airbags in its products. Yet, as the Tuscan Speed Six shows, they could produce a winner.

A range of TVR’s Speed Six inline-six engines produces up to 380 hp. It is a bold and dramatic-looking sports car with sleek curves, hidden door handles, and rear indicators at the top of the rear window. Like many TVRs, it differs from your typical sports car, but it is one of the British manufacturer’s finest and a scarce sight due to TVR producing so few. Despite its weirdness, the Tuscan Speed Six is incredibly usable daily, and its driving experience is addictive.

Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary

Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary
Image Credit: Valder137, CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

The Lamborghini Countach is an exceptional supercar and collector’s car. But the very special 25th Anniversary Countach takes things up a level. It marked a rare occasion when a sequel was as good as the original.

Lamborghini wanted it to be unique, so the Countach 25th Anniversary was a small run of 650 units. Under the hood was a 5.2-liter V12. For the US version, Lamborghini added Bosh K-Jetronic fuel injection and the supercar was capable of 455 hp—the highest power figure that a Countach would ever achieve. With the passing of time, the Countach 25th Anniversary has become even rarer, and they are worth as much as $700,000.

Ferrari Purosangue

Ferrari Purosangue
Image Credit: Ferrari.

While it is a new model and an SUV, the Ferrari Purosangue might be a car that rises in value as the years go by. So far, it is the only SUV that the Ferrari produces, and there is nothing to say that they will make another in the future. If Ferrari does, it might be hybrid or fully electric, not a naturally aspirated V12.

Under the hood of the Purosangue is a 6.5-liter V12 producing 715 hp, yet it comes in an efficient and spacious car that feels more like a supercar than an SUV. It is expensive, with a $393,350 price tag, and Ferrari doesn’t call it an SUV but a “four-seater, four-door sports car.” However, it is unique as Ferrari’s only SUV on the market, and collectors might clamor for it in years to come.

Lotus Elise S1

Lotus Elise Series 1
Image Credit: pyntofmyld (Flickr), CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

When the Elise Series 1 exploded onto the scene in 1996, it single-handedly saved the cash-strapped Lotus from oblivion and relaunched it as a modern sports car great. Lotus produced a remarkable machine with the best handling ever seen, packaged into a gorgeous, sleek, lightweight sports car.

Power for the Elise S1 came from a small but punchy 118 hp 1.8-liter Rover K-Series motor, which, in a car weighing just 1,598 lbs, made the Elise feel more like a supercar than a sports car. Without the Elise S1, we wouldn’t have the later versions of the sports car, the Exige, the Emira, and whatever its electric future holds for us.

Author: Henry Kelsall

Henry is a freelance writer, with a love for all things motoring whether it be classic sports cars, or Formula 1 racing. He has freelanced for over eight years now, mostly in automotive matters, but he has also dabbled in other forms of writing too. He has a lot of love for Japanese classics and American muscle cars, in particular the Honda NSX and first-generation Ford Mustang. When not writing, Henry is often found at classic car events or watching motorsports at home, but he also has a curious passion for steam trains and aviation.

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